


Leather and Lace

by Badass_Space_Bitches



Category: Metroid Series, Metroid: Other M
Genre: F/F, Lesbians, PTSD, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 15:10:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badass_Space_Bitches/pseuds/Badass_Space_Bitches
Summary: Madeline Bergman was a scientist working on a questionably legal government project to recreate the Metroids, But everything changed when the android clone of Mother Brain attacked. Rescued by a freelance bounty hunter and Federation "outsider", Madeline awakens on the ship of the infamous mercenary Samus Aran. Despite of, or perhaps because of, their separate lives, the two professional women begin to intrigue one another. And it leads them both into new territory and the experience of a lifetime.





	Leather and Lace

Chapter 1

 

It had all happened so fast – one moment she had been cowering in fear before the towering figure clad in metallic orange armor come to silence her, only to be protected by the same mysterious creature the next moment as Galactic Federation soldiers suddenly swarmed them from all directions, their high-powered pulse rifles trained on their targets. The terrified doctor watched as the armored cyborg outstretched its left hand in order to shield her, only to point its large arm cannon in multiple directions as the soldiers continued to descend upon them. 

The next moments were all but a blur to the red-headed woman. Save for one. It would haunt her until the day she died. The sight of Melissa standing amongst the chaos of the battle she'd orchestrated in a last ditch attempt at punishing the humans for what they had done to her, but most of all, to punish the one who she'd come to call "mother" ever since her creation. As the chaos continued around her, the red-head clutched the freeze gun with both hands, attempting to still them as they shook before firing a shot directly at the android she'd lovingly thought of as her daughter for so many years. 

As her vision faded into darkness, sounds of pulse rifle fire and shattering ice filled the doctor's heart with sorrow. 

Madeline wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd fallen unconscious. What was immediately clear to her in spite of her disorientation, however, was the silence and the smell of recycled air. She was laying somewhere awash in metal paneling and, to her unease, racks of firearms and other weaponry. She quickly sat up in alarm just as a rather tall and muscular blonde woman entered the small room, dressed in a tattered and blood-stained flightsuit, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. 

Madeline just stared at the newcomer. Aside from her tall, muscular physique, the blonde woman had an unsettling look to her eyes and face. Bluish black veins scarred the left side of her face and despite her best efforts to not stare at the unusual markings, Madeline had never seen anything quite like them on another human being before.

 

“Oh,” the tall woman said in a surprisingly deep voice. “You’re up.”

Madeline was not sure what to say to the Amazon before her. She didn’t recognize her from the events on the Bottle Ship, nor did she remember working with her in any capacity. Then again, most of the Federation troops had been wearing armored suits. Perhaps she was one of them.

"Where are we?" Madeline asked after a moment of awkward silence as the two women stared at one another. The blonde wore an unreadable look on her face, and Madeline found it rather disconcerting.

"My ship," she replied tersely.

"I presume you're with the Federation. Am I under arrest?"

The blonde woman tilted her head curiously, and Madeline thought the gesture looked almost comical coming from someone so large and frightening.

"Not at the moment," she replied, her air of severity present once more. "I've been charged with securing the safety of any survivors of the Bottle Ship. We're currently heading back into Federation Territory. What the Feds will decide to do from there, I have no idea."

It was Madeline's turn to stare curiously at the other woman. "So you're not with the Federation? Who are you then?"

The blonde woman looked surprised for a moment and then looked down at her torn and bloodstained flight suit. "I guess you wouldn't recognize me like this. My name is Samus Aran. I'm not with the Federation. I'm an independent bounty hunter. I had contracted with Commander Malkovich of the Federation Army to secure the safety of any survivors on the Bottle Ship. My mission wasn't related to the arrival of the Colonel and his troops."

Madeline paused, dreading the response to the question she was about to ask. "And the other survivors?"

Samus raised an eyebrow but then shook her head. "Just you."

Madeline closed her eyes as tears welled up within them. "So Melissa really is…"

The bounty hunter shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsettled by the blatant display of emotions. "You've been out for close to eight hours. Can I get you anything? Food? Water?"

"Oh?" It seemed like a strange request coming from the hard-looking mercenary. Her eyes went to the bloody tears in the hunter's flight suit. "I suppose I'm a bit thirsty, and… um… I'm sorry if I'm being too forward, but did you sustain those injuries rescuing me?"

Samus shrugged and looked away as though embarrassed. "Occupational hazard." 

Madeline tried to stand, but found her legs weak and her balance uncoordinated. The mercenary was at her side faster than she could blink to keep her steady. "Be careful," she advised before helping Madeline to rest on the cot again.

"With as long as I slept, you think I'd be doing better by now." Madeline frowned. "You're still on your feet after all that. How do you do it?"

"Experience."

"I guess all that was just a regular day at the office for you." Madeline attempted to smile but saw her companion failed to reciprocate the gesture. "I can't imagine going through anything like that ever again, let alone on a regular basis."

"Did you want food or not?" Samus asked abruptly. 

Madeline found the bounty hunter's abruptness a bit unsettling but answered her nonetheless. "Yes. Thank you."

"I don't have much onboard, but I'll see what I can scrounge up for you. Stay here while I'm gone," Samus replied before standing and making her way out of the cramped space. In the makeshift kitchen, consisting of a small hot plate and a tiny fridge, Samus pulled out a half-empty bag of frozen pizza rolls and placed the contents on the heating plate. 

Madeline couldn't help but snicker as she watched the tall, muscular mercenary try to cook in the tiny kitchen. She seemed so out of place.

"What's so funny?" Samus asked, completely oblivious to anything out of the ordinary.

"Nothing. It's just…" Madeline bit her tongue, not sure what to say. She didn't know anything about this woman except that she was an extremely dangerous adversary. "Mini fridge, cooking pizza rolls on a hot plate. Reminds me of how I'd scrape dinner together on a budget in college and graduate school, you know?"

"Wouldn't know," Samus said, focusing intently on what she was doing. "Honestly I usually just eat MREs or whatever, but I didn't think you wanted anything like that. We stopped for supplies and fuel earlier. The pizza things were Anthony's idea." 

"I’m sorry if I'm annoying you," the doctor replied, still not sure what to make of the woman's one word answers. "I'm just a bit disoriented from everything. You've just been quiet and I wasn't sure if… well, if my babbling was getting under your skin."

The mercenary raised her eyebrows as she threw the pizza rolls onto a plate and set them on the cot where Madeline sat. "Would it make you more comfortable if I talked more?"

Madeline dropped the pizza roll she had just picked up as she looked up to stare at Samus. "Are you serious?"

"Usually."

"Uh…" the doctor wasn't sure how to respond. First the woman saved her life and then she gave her the cold shoulder. Now she was asking about her comfort level? It didn't make sense. "No, you don't have to talk to make me more comfortable. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't bothering you."

Madeline ate in silence for a while, the mercenary's eyes never leaving her. It was uncomfortable to sit with Samus towering above her and watching like a hawk, and she was not sure how to read the mixed signals coming from the bounty hunter. 

A million questions flooded the doctor's mind as she ate in silence and as Samus continued to watch her intensely. Though Madeline found the woman's attempt at hospitality endearing, the bounty hunter had a hard look in her eyes that seemed to contradict her compassion. It was therefore easy for Madeline to surmise that Samus wasn't used to providing for the needs of others in the same way she was used to apprehending criminals or waging war across a planet. Still, she was trying, and for Madeline, that was enough. 

When she finished, Samus took her plate and tossed it haphazardly into what the doctor assumed was some kind of dishwasher. "Feeling better?" the mercenary asked, and Madeline couldn't tell if she looked annoyed or concerned. 

"Yes. Much better. Thank you." Then a thought occurred to Madeline and she felt like kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. "And thank you about earlier. For saving my life." 

Genuine surprise flashed across the blonde woman's hard looking features, and Madeline wondered once again if she had said something to annoy her.

"It wasn't a problem," Samus eventually replied, dismissing Madeline's gratitude with a wave of her hand. "I was just doing what I was hired to do."

"Still… you shielded me with your body. That seems a bit above and beyond just following orders."

The mercenary shrugged. "I had armor. You didn't."

Madeline's eyes darted to the bloody tears in Samus's flight suit once more.  "You're badly injured. Please, let me help you." 

Samus shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine. I've been through worse." 

Madeline kept her eyes fixed on the mercenary's tattered flight suit. On the surface, she could immediately identify several penetrating wounds in various places of her body, some of which were still fresh. But there was no telling what sort of damage the bounty hunter's body had sustained internally. Madeline tried again, this time with a bit more force behind her voice. "Regardless. I insist you let me take a look at you." 

Her words caught Samus off guard, and Madeline thought she might have seen the faintest blush spreading across her cheeks. Though she might have imagined it, she realized, when the hunter's face was back to its normal hard look in the blink of an eye. "It's nothing I haven't sustained before," the mercenary said, trying to brush off Madeline's concerns, but the way she did it only made the doctor more determined to take a look at her. 

"Please... Samus. May I please take a look? It would make me more comfortable to know you had some kind of first aid at the very least."

Samus looked like she wanted to say something as she stared at Madeline, but some combination of stoicism and pride held her back.

"Please," Madeline tried again. "It's the least I can do to repay you for saving my life and the hospitality you've shown me on your ship." 

Samus hesitated for a long while, but after a minute or so she slowly unzipped her flight suit as she made her way over to the bed and sat beside Madeline. She pulled the top of the suit down around her waist to reveal a sports bra covering an extremely muscular physique. But Madeline was not focused on Samus's body for the time being. Instead, she stared in dismay at the deep, neglected wounds covering the hunter's torso. She was heavily bruised all along her midsection. As though something massive had been holding and squeezing her. Given the level of damage, the doctor guessed she might have had a broken rib or two.

"How did you get like this?" She asked before she could stop herself. "What kind of creature...?" 

The bounty hunter remained silent, her focus on the metal floor panels as Madeline continued to assess her injuries. After a few quiet moments between the two women, it became clear to Madeline that the mercenary wasn't in the mood for talking. Instead, she merely continued to look over Samus's many injuries, doing so with a bit of caution, her fingers tracing over bruises and scars. More concerning to the doctor, however, was the sudden clamminess of the hunter's flesh and the way her muscles felt solid against her fingertips as if the woman was trying to keep a tight lid on something.

"Samus, is everything all right?" 

The mercenary didn't say any for a while, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"Samus?" 

Eventually Samus blinked a couple of times and looked over at Madeline. "What?" 

"You just seemed a little—" 

"I'm fine." She pulled away suddenly, brushing Madeline's hands away from her skin. "I need to see what's going on in the cockpit. I didn't mean to be away this long." 

 

 

* * *

Once back inside the cockpit, Samus walked past her longtime friend, Anthony Higgs as he rested up against the farside wall with his arms crossed. She sat down in the pilot's seat, her finger immediately moving to deactivate the auto-pilot. Her hands gripped the controls while on the various holoscreens were details about the ship’s current flight path and estimated flight times. She didn't bother to look behind her shoulder at the big man in the corner, instead choosing to acknowledge him in a monotone voice.

"I'm fine. Stop looking at me that way. Makes me nervous." 

"I didn't say anything, Princess." He grinned his usual big jovial grin. Anthony was a very large black man. He was far taller than Samus despite her Amazonian height, and he was very muscular. His bald head accentuated the overall round warmth of his features, particularly his infectious smile. He was one of the few people who didn't make Samus's hair stand on end. Usually.

"I didn't accuse you of saying anything," she replied, trying too hard to keep her focus on the ship's controls. "I told you to stop looking at me like that."

"Looking at you like what?" He laughed.

Samus grunted. "Looking at me like I'm about to fall apart. The mission's over. We're fine. End of discussion." 

Anthony sighed and shook his head. Of course Anthony knew better than to trust the mercenary whenever her well-being was concerned. And right now, he could tell in spite of her telling him everything was fine that everything clearly wasn't fine. But rather than tempt fate and disturb the hornet's nest that was Samus Aran, Anthony kept his concerns to himself for the time being and moved the conversation elsewhere. "If you say so, Princess. How's the doc?" 

"I don't need a doctor!" Samus snapped, and Anthony raised an eyebrow.

"I mean Dr. Bergman. You know, tall with red hair? You were just in there with her?"

"Oh… that doctor." Samus could feel her face flushing red in embarrassment now as her anger subsided. "She's not dead. I fed her. I guess she'll live."

"Wow, Princess. Try not to get so enthusiastic on me!" He chuckled nervously. "Maybe talk about her like she's a person instead of a gerbil you just bought?" 

Samus looked annoyed as she continued to avoid eye contact with Anthony. "I know she's a person. Besides, what's a gerbil?" 

Despite his best efforts not to, Anthony chuckled. Though his friend appeared perfectly human, it was times like this that he found himself wondering just where the hell she'd come from. Wherever it was, it wasn't Earth...

"Right, Princess. Gerbils are little furry rodents people often keep as pets," he replied before readdressing the matter at hand. "In any case, just try to remember she's probably still very scared, so maybe try acting like you actually care about her well-being. It'll help her feel better." 

Samus's eyes remained fixed on the infinite blackness. She snorted. "Right. How the hell do you expect me to do that when I can't even take care of my own well-being?" 

She sensed Anthony slowly approach her from behind, his big hand coming to rest on her broad shoulder. "Well, now is as good a time as any to work on that, you know." 

She still refused to look at him. "Yeah, sure. You're so worried about her, why don't you go back there and check on her." 

 “Because I thought you’d be better at it,” he said with a sly smile. “You two seemed to be getting along before I showed up.”

 Samus slammed the button for the autopilot and pivoted the pilot’s chair around so suddenly that Anthony reflexively took a step back.

 “She was a survivor,” Samus said with a collected calm despite the hot glare she wore. “She was scared. I was gentle with her like I was taught to be in these situations. You could have done the same thing. Better, probably.”

 “No need to get so worked up.” Anthony forced a laugh in an attempt to cool the mood in the small space. “I know you’re not really big on the whole feelings thing. I just thought maybe you and the doc might have found some common ground. That’s all. You both lost someone close to you yesterday.”

 A shiver ran up Samus’s spine at the reference to Adam’s death, his sacrifice. It was a fresh wound still. Had he not been killed the way he was, his body might still have been warm now. Or not. Samus couldn’t remember how long bodies took to cool. She hadn’t touched one since the day she had laid beside her mother’s corpse and waited for death until the Chozo came for her instead.

 A knot formed in her chest at the thought of her home planet and its destruction. Golden eyes invaded her thoughts as though her tormenter were still alive and could see inside of her mind. Her hand subconsciously went to touch the heavy bruising around her midsection, the injuries that had concerned the doctor so. They were a fresh reminder of her ties to him, of the fact that their destinies had been so intertwined that she might never be truly free of him so long as any shred of his DNA still existed.

 Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, but she tried her best to quiet them as she turned back to the control panel and switched off the autopilot. She had a job right now, bringing Madeline into Federation custody to await trial, and that’s what she needed to focus on now.


End file.
